California’s Secretary of State only tallies the number of registered voters once in odd years. In 2013, the tally was as of February 10, and there won’t be another state tally until January 2014.
However, some California county election offices keep a running tally of the number of registered voters in each party. Los Angeles County, which holds 26% of the state population, is one of the counties that provides the data, updated daily.
As of July 7, 2013, the percentage of voters in Los Angeles County in each qualified party is: Democratic 50.95%, Republican 21.48%, American Independent 2.24%, Peace & Freedom .59%, Libertarian .53%, Green .51%, Americans Elect .05%. Independents are at 17.84% and voters registered in unqualified parties are at 5.80% (this category almost certainly includes people who left this part of the form blank).
As of February 10, 2013, the percentages in Los Angeles County were: Democratic 51.11%, Republican 21.55%, American Independent 2.24%, Peace & Freedom .51%, Libertarian .53%, Green .50%, Americans Elect .05%, independents 18.11%, members of unqualified parties and blanks 5.39%.
The numbers, as of July 7, are: Democratic 2,458,609; Republican 1,036,437; American Independent 108,031; Peace & Freedom 28,560; Libertarian 25,739; Green 24,521; Americans Elect 2,495; independent 860,723; miscellaneous and blank 280,092. The increase for Peace & Freedom during the last five months is probably because the party is working hard to increase its registration. In February it had 24,950 registrants in Los Angeles County.
Richard
It is wrong to use the word “independent” for “no party”. Independent is part of the name of the American Independent Party.
You are correct that exect for P & F in LA County all parties
lost electors. This is because the registar in cleaning dead
wood from the voter rolls. Some parties lost at a higher
% than others.
Mark Seidenberg
Mark, please comment on the fact that Americans Elect and the American Independent Party are both ballot-qualified in California. Also please comment on the fact that California still lets independent presidential candidates use the word “independent” on the ballot.
Election Code 2187.(a) Each county elections official shall send to the Secretary of State, in a format described by the Secretary of State, a summary statement of the number of voters in the county. The statement shall show the total number of voters in the county, the number registered as affiliated with each qualified political party, the number registered in nonqualified parties, and the number who
declined to state any party affiliation.
The word “unqualified” implies that the parties are not legitimate, and that voters are not really affiliated with the party. Instead it means that the parties are not qualified to have a presidential preference primary, have a presidential nominee, nor have state-provided elections for party officers, and have party endorsements for voter-nominated office.
Proposition 14 extirpated the privilege of qualified parties to have a party primary and make nominations for statewide, SBOE, congressional and legislative elections. It is a strained interpretation by the Secretary of State that a party is “participating” in a primary election simply because a candidate prefers a qualified party, when the simple straightforward interpretation is that a party preference is that indicated by a voter on their affidavit of voter registration.
Elections Code 2154.In the event that the county elections official receives an affidavit of registration that does not include portions of the information for which space is provided, the county elections official shall apply the following rebuttable presumptions:
(a) If no middle name or initial is shown, it shall be presumed that none exists.
(b) If no party preference is shown, it shall be presumed that the affiant has declined to disclose a party preference.
The more likely interpretation is that the Los Angeles (and Alameda) voter-registrars are classifying voters who write words such as “Independent” are indicating a preference for the non-qualified Independent Party, rather than left the space blank. In any case, the California Secretary of State is not ensuring consistent application of the state election laws.